Ashoka Restructures Mental Health Support, Dissolves Student Care Office

This year, Ashoka University has dissolved its Student Care Office (SCO), bringing counselling, psychiatric consultations and YourDOST services under the Ashoka Centre for Well-Being (ACWB).

The change ends a period in which mental health support was managed across separate offices. ACWB traditionally handled counselling, while the SCO, which operated under the Dean of Student Affairs (DSA), dealt with students in acute distress and coordinated services including psychiatric care and external counselling.

The structure had come under scrutiny in The Edict’s previous reporting. In August 2025, Nysa Sanghvi (UG ‘27) and Sharmistha Shivhare (UG ‘27) reported concerns about the lack of a centralised process for handling mental health crises. Students could approach ACWB, the SCO, the university psychiatrist, Student Government or individual staff members, with cases sometimes eventually moving to the Residence Life Office. The reporting also raised concerns about the SCO’s role in this system. Ajitesh Vishwanath (UG ‘27), then Minister of Community Well-Being, told The Edict that the office’s administrative team did not have formal training in mental health care. Students interviewed for the report also described instances where seeking help was followed by measures including parental contact and being placed under observation.

The structure changed again after ACWB’s founding director, Dr. Arvinder Singh, stepped down in March 2026. The centre was brought under the DSA, while the SCO moved into the ACWB office. Ananya Mahnot (UG ‘29) reported at the time that several counsellors had also left following Singh’s departure. Nivedita Singh was appointed ACWB director in May 2026. The university has since increased the number of ACWB counsellors and extended the centre’s operating hours.

Under the new arrangement, all in-person counselling will take place at ACWB. YourDOST’s online services will continue as usual, while weekly psychiatric consultations will also be held at the centre. In-person counselling will now be available until 11:30 p.m., seven days a week, excluding public holidays. The SCO’s former email address and helpline are being redirected to ACWB. Students seeking well-being support have been asked to contact ACWB directly. While the services now fall under the DSA’s administrative purview, most mental health-related information is routed to Nivedita Singh.

The dissolution of the SCO marks the latest change to Ashoka’s mental health structure, following months of restructuring and concerns over how students in distress were directed between different offices.

[Edited by Antara Kulkarni, Ananya Mahnot and Avika Mantri]